emember how exciting it was to see something grow when you were a child? Perhaps you raised a puppy or planted seeds. It's just as exciting — and important — for your child to learn about managing and growing his or her savings.

The gift of a lifetime
Teaching your children how to manage their money is a gift that will serve them well throughout their lives. You can start teaching your child the value of money as soon as he or she can count. Here are some suggestions:

It's all about growth
Ages 3 to 7: At the supermarket, involve your child in buying decisions and let him or her hand the money to the cashier. You may also want to give your child a small allowance so that he or she can learn to save for a “must-have” toy or other item.

Ages 8 to 12: Children should be ready to graduate from a piggy bank to a savings account that allows them to earn interest on their savings. Be sure to review the statements with your child and explain how the interest helps the money grow on its own. This may also be a good time to introduce your child to investing. Allow him or her to start an "imaginary" portfolio with familiar stocks such as Disney,™ McDonald's^SM or Nike.™ Then, follow the progress of these investments every week.

Ages 13 to 18: Consider allowing your child to take on part-time work to learn the satisfaction of saving hard-earned money. Now may be a good time to put your child's investment practice to the true test by investing some of this money.

Learning at LaSalle
We offer a variety of ways to help your child learn the value of money with two savings accounts designed specifically for individuals under the age of 18. Both the Youth Passbook Savings Account and the Youth Statement Savings Account have the following features:

• Minimum opening deposit of just $25.
• No minimum balance fees when you maintain a minimum daily balance of $25.
• Interest is compounded and credited to the account quarterly.

Learn more about these and other products at www.lasallebank.com or visit your local LaSalle branch.